Light in the Attic
by Naburoo
Summary: AU. Sakura moves to an old manor with a dark history. While hiding from her brother, she stumbles upon the upstairs attic. But she’s not alone up there… Rated M for later violence. 1 year re-write!
1. Chapter 1

LIGHT IN THE ATTIC: Re-written as of **8-2-08**

This fanfiction was entirely inspired by a photo called "The man Upstairs" by girltripped on Deviant Art, and also the Davy Jones music box theme on the PotC soundtrack.

**Summary**- Sakura moves to an old manor with a dark history. While hiding from her teasing brother, she stumbles upon the upstairs attic… but she's not alone up there. After befriending the spirit of a child who died violently, Sakura learns that the truth isn't always what you want it to be. This is not a loli-fic. It takes place in present day.

--

It was by far the creepiest house Sakura had ever seen. But being only eight, she'd never seen many creepy houses, and so didn't have many to compare it to anyway.

The old Ford Windstar moved slowly up the drive, and the unfamiliar sound of tire on gravel seemed ominous to Sakura. With a lurch, the car stopped and the driver leaned out the window. They had known it wouldn't be modern, but this was so..

"Old." The young boy next to Sakura groaned. "Daaad, Look at this place.. this is so crappy." Sakura's brother was a year older, much louder, more whiney, and meaner. Kirio had evolved from an adorable child to a brat the moment Sakura was born. Reason being, she was her mother's favorite. Was. Sakura's mom would have quieted the boys complaints with a mere smile, had she been in the car with them.. Or alive, for that matter. A car accident on an icy road. Drunk driver.

"This is a grand old house. Treat it with respect." Her dad said blandly, as they stared up at it. Sakura dully noted that his voice did not sound as if he thought the house deserved respect.

Four stories high, the Victorian manor was gray with peeling paint, it's dark shutters had long since turned from red to a dismal brown. Tall weeds grew in the front garden, and grime coated the windows. It faced the West, and the setting sun would have made the house look even creepier, had it not been for the fact that dark clouds were billowing overhead, which surely made it look as sinister as possible.

"Well, it could use a little paint.." Mr. Haruno smushed his cigarette in the ashtray beside him and eyed the house wearily. All three stepped out of the car and began unpacking the van, while Sakura eyed the house up and down.

That's when it caught her eye.

A glint of red, a tiny pinprick in the fourth floor attic window. Sakura's heart skipped a beat. A sudden feeling of exposure and fear washed over her... Someone was looking through the window, but they had vanished so quickly that she wondered if it was her imagination. She continued to stare, rooted to the spot.

"Sakura! Let's go, it's starting to rain!" Her father's voice snapped her out of her stupor, and she rushed to help unload boxes from the car. Carrying they're few belongings into the house, Sakura's could see the former splendor of the place, and that it had truly been beautiful once. Dust muffled their footsteps as she dragged a suitcase upstairs. It was times like these when Sakura longed for solitude. She knew her brother would try to argue with her over rooms or belongings, so she quickly searched the first, then second, and finally the third floor, looking for the perfect room.

And she found it. It faced the back of the house, towards the east, and it was for this reason that Sakura liked it. The morning sun would shine on the faded butterfly wallpaper and make the floor's polish seem a little less nonexistent. Peering out of the window, she could see nothing but a small field, and endless woods beyond it. She might have found a better room on the fourth floor, but the thought of those crimson eyes startled her. 'Not eyes. Just the light catching something…' She told herself. Being a child who though logically, Sakura decided not to let the thought of someone else in the house scare her. But it did..

With a sigh, she pulled the scrunchie out of her shoulder length hair and flopped unceremoniously onto the bed, which immediately poofed out copious amounts of dust. She sneezed loudly, and rolled off it at once onto the floor and laughing at her silly mistake.

…But somewhere, in a dark corner of the fourth floor attic, a figure sitting atop a crate stared at the floor beneath his feet and whispered softly.

"Bless you."

--

Don't worry, the chapters gradually grow longer. I hope you liked it. I'd love to hear what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

LIGHT IN THE ATTIC: Re-written as of 8-2-08

Thank you for all the reviews left so far, they are all very encouraging.

-

Sakura stopped laughing. Something had caught her eye for the second time that day. A box lay underneath the bed, covered in dust and stapled shut. It was so old and beat up looking that Sakura thought it might turn to dust if she touched it. Which she did, of course.

Sliding the box toward her, she gazed at the staples, which looked as though they'd been put on by a child, or someone in a rush. Or both. Listening closely to make sure her dad and brother were still downstairs, she pulled the staples out one by one. Sakura didn't know what to expect, the excitement sent her imagination reeling. Perhaps a bundle of love letters, or precious gems hidden away. Or maybe a map to some secret passage? Sakura excitedly stuck her hand in the box and pulled out an incredible looking…

…piece of paper.

Disappointed, Sakura saw what looked like a diary entry. Her bad mood was short lived, because the date heading the entry was from 1931! Eyes wide, excitement returned as she read.

_July 16th, 1931. Today Ita-kun played with me on the roof. Then we explored the attic and we found an old music box! It was broken, but Ita-kun says he can fix it. He's very nice to me. I know it's bad nobody has money, but if it weren't for that I never would have met Ita-kun._

_Momoko Aoyama_

Sakura finished reading, and thoughtfully placed the letter back in the box, but there was something else in there as well. Her hands found something cold, and withdrew a chipped, wooden box with a small glass lid. She opened it, expecting more paper, only to see a slowly rotating contraption.

"Music box…" She whispered to herself, suddenly realizing what it was. But although the metal pieces inside were moving, it was completely silent. She was tempted to shake it, but that might damage the already broken object even more. Perhaps it was like a bell from Santa's sleigh- you had to believe in Santa to hear it.

Her dad called from below. After placing her two treasures back in their cardboard container, she walked downstairs to help unpack.

-

It was out of pure boredom that her brother, Kirio, had begun to tease her. First about her hair, then about the little sun dress Sakura had chosen to wear that day. After driving her to tears, she ran to find her father, who had spent the last three days shuffling through the boxes of old papers and useless junk left in the house. He had been reading old newspaper clippings from a shoebox when Sakura arrived, seeking comfort. After a good 5 minutes of assuring his daughter he'd speak to her brother, he hurried her off to "explore the house." But before leaving the musty room, Sakura paused.

"Daddy, who were the Aoyama's?"

Her dad answered without looking up. "They ran this place as a home for people who had lost theirs in the Depression." Her father turned to look at her "Why do you ask, Saku-chan?" Sakura hesitated. She didn't want to tell her dad about her treasures, she wanted to keep this secret as her own. Her one bad habit., keeping secrets.

"I.. was just wondering." And she left the room in a hurry.

Her father looked after her, concerned for a moment, then lit up a cigarette and returned to the news clipping. He stopped in mid puff and stared in horror when he read the headline.

_**Aoyama child falls to death from rooftop**_

_Itachi Uchiha, friend, is main suspect._

_-_

Yet somehow, as bored children usually do, her brother had found Sakura again, and had 'playfully' tugged the ribbons from her hair, and was trying to splatter paint on her dress. She fell and tripped many times before finally escaping his grasp by running up the stairs. Dirty, and with a bleeding knee, Sakura ran crying up all four flights of steps, onto the fourth floor landing. Her brother was right behind, paint on his fingers and wicked grin on his face. Sakura bolted for the door at the end of the hallway and toppled into the room. She felt her brother slam his small weight onto the door, making her yelp. She heard the scraping of chairs from outside, and suddenly realized that her brother was barricading her in. Sakura hammered on the door, sobbing, and yelled from the other side, but it wouldn't budge. How could her father hear her when she was trapped, four floors above?

Defeated, messy haired, and her dress stained and wrinkled, she crawled from the door and collapsed in the fading patch of sun from a grimy window with gray curtains, which blocked out almost all the light. She curled herself into a ball and shook with sobs. 'Always the weakling..' she thought, and cried herself into an uneasy sleep.

Itachi had watched, hidden in the shadows, as the child burst into the room. He observed as she sank to the floor and cried. Now he moved soundlessly as though not even the dust itself knew he was there.

Standing in the darkness cast by the many surrounding boxes, Itachi stood next to the girl who lay at his feet. He gazed at her with dark eyes, black hair curtaining his flawless face, which remained void of any emotion.

The light from the window had faded, throwing the room into darkness. He noiselessly crouched beside her, and reached a pale hand out to brush hair from her face.

But Sakura slept on, unaware of the danger she might be in.

--

I actually prefer short chapters, I'd like to think it gives the reader time to think things out and analyze the story. But of course, I'm making the poor assumption that you all are analytical readers to begin with. The next chapter will be up soon and much more exciting! By the way, Itachi's appearance is that of a 15 or 16 year olds.. and yes, he is dead.


	3. Chapter 3

LIGHT IN THE ATTIC: Re-written as of 8-2-08

I've named the manor the 'Castell' manor because of this totally wicked history I found based on one in Europe. "The young son of Dame Griffiths fell into a bottomless pool of dark water within the precincts and was never seen again. His mother was inconsolable and soon died from her grief. Her ghost restlessly continues to wander about the castle and its surrounding woods." Gnarly, amirite?

-

By the time Sakura awoke it was night. She opened her eyes ever so slowly, and then bolted into a sitting position, forgetting where she was for a moment. But then she saw the paint stains on her dress and the scratches on her knee. Against her will, more tears began welling up in her eyes.

"Child.."

The voice behind Sakura made her jump so suddenly- she turned around in shock. Emerald eyes met velvet red, and her breath stopped in her throat. She couldn't yell, she couldn't move.

"Why are you crying?"

The man was crouching beside her, gazing at her, unblinking. He reach out a hand and placed it on the side of her face, brushing a tear away with his thumb. His skin was as cold as glass, and his face like porcelain.

"Child," He began again, his voice smooth like placid water. "Why are you crying?" But it didn't sound like a question, it sounded like a statement, as if he knew the answer, but just wanted to hear her speak.

"I.." She started, her eyes still wide in fear. "My brother.. he…" But she couldn't continue, for she had begun sobbing and shaking so heavily, that she folded her arms around herself, as if in an attempt to hold it in.

But she was not the only one who had wrapped arms around herself. Itachi had slowly drawn himself closer, and even though Sakura, speechless, couldn't say a word, she suddenly understood…

He was comforting her.

Not knowing or caring who he was, all fear seemed to fall away as she buried herself in his arms and cried once more.

-

Mr. Haruno was scratching his unshaven stubble. This was a sign that he was in very deep thought, or troubled, or both. At this particular time, it was both. The newspaper clipping sat beside him. It had befuddled him, and that frustrated him, and that frustration had thrown him into very deep thought.

Thus, he scratched his chin.

_**Aoyama child falls to death**_

The date was from July 21st, 1931. Mr. Haruno had never seen such an old clipping, but it appeared to have been stuck in a scrapbook at one point, and the quality just barely allowed it to be read:

_Itachi Uchiha, friend, is main suspect._

_Yesterday, on July 20th, Momoko Aoyama of the Castell Manor fell from the roof to her undeserved death. Her friend and fellow resident, Itachi Uchiha, was questioned and accused of pushing the child. He stated last night "It had all been an accident- she fell, I didn't do anything!" An investigation was carried out throughout the house, but the residents said that Uchiha would never have done such a thing. "The two were best friends in this bad time, they played together everyday. Itachi kun wouldn't ever do that." Stated one Mr. Meioh , who is also a resident there. Mr. Meioh also stated, along with the majority of the residents, that they could "See no reason for Itachi to push Momoko."_ _Further investigation may take place concerning the residents, but Uchiha is innocent until proven guilty. The woman who accused the child was Momoko Aoyama's mother, Satsuki Aoyama, who refused to answer any questions, but was said to hold Uchiha in great distaste. Uchiha was living in the Manor along with Mr. Meioh, who was acting as a foster parent._

The article appeared to have once had a photo on the bottom, but it had been torn off.

Mr. Haruno sighed. He had made it a point to ask if the house had any history, and was rather pissed that he'd been lied to. But more than this, he was troubled that Sakura had known the name Aoyama in the first place. He guessed that she'd seen the name on a legal document or something when the house was being bought.

But one could never be too sure with children. So he left the room to find her.

-

Sakura remained snuggled into his chest long after she had stopped crying. She had no idea why she felt so peaceful. She didn't even know his name. But she knew there was something odd about him. She'd cried a great deal, yet no part of his black shirt was wet. It didn't even feel like any fabric Sakura had ever felt. It was almost as if the shadows themselves rose from the floor to clothe him. Sakura couldn't even be sure he was wearing a shirt. He simply emanated darkness.

But there was something else that she noticed only after a long moment of listening. He had no heartbeat. He was not inhaling, nor was he exhaling. Yet she'd heard him speak, seen him move…

-

Both of his children were nowhere to be seen, and Mr. Haruno had searched every floor, looking for at least one of the rascals. It wasn't until he reached the fourth floor that it all became obvious. He hadn't seen Kirio because he was hiding from his dad, and he hadn't seen Sakura because Kirio had locked her in the attic, which must be why Kirio was hiding. Troubled by his son's act of cruelty, he set to work moving aside upholstery and boxes from the door.

-

For a short, frightening moment, Sakura wondered if her imagination had simply conjured this man up for comfort, and he was nothing but an illusion. But then the logical part of her brain answered that that was completely impossible. Sakura's eyes found his face, which was very smooth, and slightly pale. She hesitated for a moment.

"What's your name?" She asked ever so quietly.

Being a child, she didn't quite have the sense to ask the more direct question: Who are you? Or even ask '_What_ are you?' And she definitely wasn't straightforward enough to ask the most direct question, 'What are you doing in _my _house?' She was instead more concerned about what to call him.

He turned slowly to look at her, and she stared back into those deep red eyes that gave her the sensation of being asked to stop moving.

"Itachi." He said softly.

Not waiting to be asked, Sakura answered with an embarrassed smile. "I'm Sakura." It seemed odd to be introducing herself _after_ she'd bawled into his arms.

"It's nice to meet you, Itachi.", her smile growing.

Itachi returned the smallest of smiles, but it did not reach his eyes, which remained still and unblinking.

But that name had sparked something in Sakura's memory, and she remembered a name written on a faded diary page in childish writing.

"…Ita.."

Itachi blinked.

"...ku-"

A sudden click and the loud creak of a door opening cut her off, and she looked up to see the silhouette of her father standing in the doorway.

"Dad!!" Sakura stood up and ran to him, latching her arms around his legs, and he ruffled her hair playfully. "Oh, Sakura! I was worried about you." Sakura nodded and turned quickly to Itachi.

But he had gone before the door had even fully opened.

Sakura stared, confused at the place where he'd been sitting. Her dad peeked into the dark, dusty attic. "Saku-chan?" She turned back and smiled at him. She didn't know why she didn't say it, but Sakura somehow felt that telling someone about what she'd seen would ruin the peace of mind she'd felt while being comforted by Itachi.

"It's nothing, dad." Sakura smiled reassuringly.

And so, Sakura walked down the hall with her dad, her secret safe. This was her haven, and no one else was going to take it away from her, weather it was real or not.

Some long hours after the door had closed, Itachi stood looking out of the heavily curtained window. The clouds had not let up, and a storm could be seeen forming in the distance. He closed his eyes. A child laughing in the sunshine on a rooftop haunted his thoughts.

He turned, paused, and then faded into the shadows of the attic.

-

**note:**. I know I'm deviating from normal ItaSaku fics, but I really wanted a different kind of relationship b/w the two, while still retaining some of their original personalities.

Obviously Itachi is much more human, and Sakura seems a little more understandable to me. I have the feeling, however, that I'm making her a little too mature for her age. Thus, she will be turning 9. But I have no experience with kids, other than the fact that I was one once. Maybe I'm wrong.

I don't even know how this'll end. I'm kinda busy with summer school and an upcoming convention, (Canada Expo) but I plan the story in my head whenever I get a free moment…Which is usually during summer school. What can I say, Itachi and Sakura invade my thoughts. Very rude of them..


	4. Chapter 4

LIGHT IN THE ATTIC: Re-written as of 8-2-08

When I went back to read this I realized the plot line hadn't been pushed as much as I'd liked. D: After this chapter, the pace _does_ picks up.

Onward!

000

Sakura awoke to the patter of heavy rain on her window. She hadn't seen so much as a minute of sunshine since arriving; excluding the few moments of sunset she'd seen from the attic.

Naturally, Sakura had been thinking about the attic ever since last night, and had come to the conclusion that Itachi was either a ghost, some sort of tangible spirit, or simply not real altogether. She had never been afraid of spirits or ghosts, or any other sort of supernatural creature, because she'd never really believed in them. Logically, they were impossible. But last night's little adventure had hardly frightened her at all, even though it was quite obvious that Itachi wasn't human. Or not a live one, at least. She rolled over in bed and was moments from falling back asleep when her door banged open with a crash.

"Sakuraaaaa!!" The hyperactive Kirio had launched himself into her room and was jumping on her bed. "Happy Birthdaaay!" He yelled, narrowly missing leaping on her feet.

Unfazed by this rambunctious and sudden intrusion, Sakura tackled his legs and pushed him off the bed, then leapt out and pinned him to the wooden floor. In the moment it took for him to be surprised by this, Sakura yelled back just as loudly. "It's _tomorrow_ you stupid idiot!"

Kirio smiled and spoke with sarcasm. "Oops."

Sakura wasn't sure if he'd actually forgotten, or if he had and done this simply to wake her up in a rude way. Him forgetting was probably the most likely, because both children knew that he didn't really care about her birthday, and bothering her was always top priority. Sakura glared and stood up to leave the room for breakfast when a loud thunk met her ears. She turned around and saw, horrified, that Kirio had emptied the contents of her stapled treasure box onto the floor, and was reaching for the broken music box that had fallen from it.

"No!!" Sakura screamed and made a grab at it, but he snatched it up first and teasingly held it above her head.

"Ooh, what's this, a jewelry box?" He was slowly opening the lid, and Sakura knew that if he opened it from that height, the contraption inside would fall, which would surely break it even more. Sakura made another grab for it, but to her horror, her fingers knocked it from his hands. Both watched as the metal cylinder fell from the small box.

It seemed to take and age for it to fall. Then it hit to the floor and broke into pieces.

Sakura screamed and swung a hand at Kirio, who grabbed her hair. She viciously dug her nails into his face and made a long scratch as he yanked on her hair again. Chaos ensued as both children swung their tiny fists at each other, each determined to do the most damage.

But strong arms were pulling them apart, and a loud, deep voice was speaking in a controlling tone. "What the hell's going on here?" Fuming, the siblings stared at each other, willing the other to drop dead. Mr. Haruno hadn't been surprised to see his children fighting, but was still upset by the violent measures they'd resorted to. They were getting worse by the day.

"He broke my music box!" "She _pushed _me!" They both yelled, eager to show that it had quite obviously been the other sibling's fault. Mr. Haruno took a moment to expertly survey the surroundings. The broken music box, the scratch on Kirio's face, and the fact that he had woken up Sakura were all taken into account, and he reached a verdict. Still holding their shoulders, he sighed deeply. "You're both grounded for the day. You can take the time to spend it in your rooms and unpack, unless we go out shopping sometime later." He was expectedly met with complaints and sobs. Personally though, he didn't think it was so bad. It's not like they had much else to do anyway.

So, after mild complaining, both children sent each other one final death glare, and set to work unpacking their boxes, Kirio stomping off to his room.

Rain now fell in sheets against the window as Sakura carefully searched the floor for the last piece of metal. She found it near her bed table and, after inspecting it for any gouges, carefully placed it back in the wooden box, along with all the other disconnected pieces. Miraculously, it had only broken into four pieces. Boxes unpacked, clothes organized and put away, and books neatly placed on shelves, Sakura sat on the end of her bed and stared gloomily out the window. She longed to climb the stairs and go to the attic. She couldn't shake off the sense that he was waiting for her, that he knew she needed comforting.

Sakura wrapped her tiny arms around herself, trying to recall the peacefulness she'd felt when he'd done the same. _'If Itachi were my brother, instead of Kirio…'_

She hung her head and tried to imagine how different her life could be. Two loving parents would hold her close, and a caring brother would safely watch over her as she played with friends and enjoyed every moment she breathed. The thought made her feel empty. Sakura couldn't hold back tears as she thought of what her birthday would be like tomorrow.

'_Stop crying!' _Sakura shut her eyes and took a deep breath. She wasn't going to fall into a pit. Anyone would be sad in her position, but she wasn't going to let that stop her. She was determined to be happy.

In a flash she was on her feet and at the door, listening closely for any signs of life on the third floor. She heard a thump on the floor below, which meant her brother was in his room. After several moments, a clanging pot told her that her dad was cooking something in the kitchen. Sakura slid out into the hall. On tiptoe, she lightly put each foot down, testing the floor for squeaks as she slowly crept to the stairs. She crawled up one step at a time, listening on each one for noise below. She was careful to keep secret her movement as she crept quietly towards the door at the end of the hall.

Her fingers rested on the doorknob. What if he wasn't there? Or didn't speak to her? If he hadn't been real… Sakura took a deep breath and pushed open the door slowly, it's low creaking made her heart beat faster.

But she knew in an instant that she was in her sanctuary.

The attic was pleasantly warm, and smelled of dust and cardboard. Rain gently pattered on every inch of the roof outside, the sound only adding to the ambience. The dark, pyramid ceiling loomed overhead, decorated by cobwebs, as high towers of randomly stacked boxes crowded the floor, waiting to be opened by curious hands.

Sakura sighed, enjoying the moment.

She wandered to the window and moved aside one of the curtains, allowing watery light to fall upon the dusty floor. Standing up on tiptoe, she attempted to latch the curtain on its hook. She was about to try and jump up, when a hand gently took hold of the curtain and hooked it into place. Sakura turned around expectedly, unafraid of his crimson eyes or his dark presence, to see Itachi gazing back at her.

-

"So then I tried to grab it back, but it slipped and fell right to the floor. I mean, if it had fallen on anything else it might not have broke. But it just _had _to be the floor."

Sakura crossed her arms and pouted at her feet. Itachi saw this and the slightest of amused smiles was set upon his face.

They were sitting in the pathetic excuse for light that came from the window. Sakura was leaning against an old trunk and was explaining the events of her morning in animated detail. Itachi was listening patiently. He spoke softly in contrast to Sakura, and paused before saying anything. "Why don't you ask your dad to fix it?" It didn't sound like a question, merely a monotone statement. Sakura looked back at him.

"He's busy with papers and cleaning." The added quickly, "Oh, but I help too, I mean, this house is full of stuff." She glanced over at the boxes piled high around the attic, and at the trunk behind her.

"Then, what about your mother?"

Sakura's face went blank, but her mind's gears were working carefully. She hadn't been asked this question by anyone yet. When the accident happened, the whole town had already known, and made it a point to avoid the subject completely around Sakura.

Avoiding eye contact, she decided to answer in such a way that would hopefully quiet the subject, but wasn't _too_ descriptive. Sakura spoke after a long pause with carefully chosen words.

"She's dead."

"How?"

Sakura stared at Itachi, eyes wide. Well that certainly hadn't been expected. He had countered her immediate, simple answer with an even _simpler_ question. But more than that, she noticed that this had actually sounded like a question. Sakura looked away from his curious gaze and inclined her head. She nervously chewed at her lip and quieted her voice.

"She, um.. She was driving late. And-" Sakura paused to take a breath. "She got hit by another driver who was… drunk."

A moment passed in which Sakura felt very awkward. She broke the silence by, in turn, asking the question that been bubbling on the top of her mind all day.

"Itachi?"

"Hm."

"Do you, uh, do you live here?" She gazed at him curiously. He merely looked back and answered.

"Yes." He paused before elaborating. "I'm waiting for something important to me."

Sakura's brain had barely wrapped around this statement when the loud clanging what sounded like pots hitting kitchen floor brought her to her senses. It sounded as though an avalanche of kitchenware had fallen, and sure enough Mr. Haruno's muffled exclamation of "Dammit!" was carried through out the house. Sakura had completely forgotten that she was supposed to be in her room. She stood up and turned to Itachi, an apologetic expression on her face. "I have to go, I'm supposed to be in my room." His face darkened the slightest bit at her words.

"Then why are you here?" Another statement. For a fraction of a second, Sakura had the feeling that he was scolding her. She bit her lip again and stared at her feet, drawing a deep breath before answering ever so quietly.

"I wanted to talk to you… 'cause you're nice.." She trailed off and looked meekly into his face, which hadn't softened into something understanding, as she had expected, but instead had the faintest trace of amusement on it, as if her rebellious actions had reminded him of someone. He nodded, and she waved a quick goodbye before making her way to the door. Just before opening it, she turned around, but he had gone again.

"Itachi?" She called out softly. And he was there beside her, his face expressionless as ever.

"Hm."

She smiled at him. "It's nothing. Bye Itachi."

"Sakura." She turned to look at him.

"If you'd like, you can bring the music box next time. Perhaps I can fix it."

She smiled, and thought of the same promise that had been made to a child about her age, a very long time ago.

"Thanks... Ita-kun!" And she flounced out of the room.

000

Yay, you're halfway done reading this! Things will get deeper and darker… Feeling brutal? Drop a review.


	5. Chapter 5

LIGHT IN THE ATTIC: Re-written as of 8-2-08

Personally, I think ghosts age very slowly. So although Itachi was a child when he died, he slowly grew to look around 16. This makes me feel like a godmodder in an rpg. Thank you so much for the reviews and tips, guys! This is the chapter where the story takes a darker and dirtier road…

000

A cardboard box lay on it's side, it's contents had tumbled out onto the polished wood floor. Kirio turned to the other box, and angrily kicked that one over as well. Both boxes opened none too gently, He began picking up things at random and shoving them in drawers.

'It was completely her fault. Stupid brat..' He thought. 'How dare she get me in time out!'

As he furiously threw a stuffed dog in the general direction of his toy crate, his foot caught on something small and hard on the floor. He looked down to see a small, two inch pocket knife that had fallen out of his box. Kirio picked it up, sat on his bed, and flipped it open. He had found the small knife years ago on his school playground, partially buried underneath the slide. He and his friends had debated on whether or not he should give it to a teacher, but he had selfishly kept it. He remembered carrying it around with him for weeks before they'd moved, although he lived in a safe neighborhood. It made him feel elated, it gave him a reason to think himself better, more powerful than his peers.

Kirio climbed off his bed and sat on the wooden floor. He pushed the tip of the blade into the wood and paused. He had a sudden, rushed feeling of opportunity, as if he could do practically anything he wanted with this small, sharp object. He paused for a moment and thought.

An image flitted through his mind. His mother holding Sakura in her arms. In an instant, Kirio jerked his arm back and made a long scratch in the floor.

The scraping sounded like music to his ears.

Excited, he stood up and looked around his room eagerly. He picked up the stuffed dog he'd thrown and stared at it's plastic, hazel eyes. It had been his sister who'd bought the ugly thing for him, on his ninth birthday. Disgusted, Kirio slid the pocket knife underneath one of it's eyes, and pulled the knife foreword. The eye fell with a clack onto the floor, and rolled away under the bed.

Smiling, he set to work on the rest of the dog.

-

As she tiptoed along the hall, Sakura's head struggled to come up with a solution as to why Itachi would be waiting in an attic for so long. She was certain that he was the 'Ita-kun' mentioned in Momoko's diary, meaning that he had been there for a good 75 years.

The only thing she really knew about him was that he had been friends with Momoko, and that he had promised to fix the music box that lay broken in Sakura's room. Was Momoko still in the house too? The thought of another spirit dwelling in the Castell manor sounded fun. She was moments from stepping into her room when a voice from the second floor landing called out.

"Sakura, Kirio, it's time for lunch!"

One word hit home with Sakura, and that was 'lunch.' She practically flew down the stairs, past Kirio stepping out of his room, past the clutter in the halls, and straight into the kitchen. Her thoughts seemed to have rotated almost mechanically from Itachi to food. She plopped herself down at the kitchen table and inhaled. Apparently, today was a pasta day.

Kirio had calmly gotten up from his work and walked to the door when he'd heard his father's call. He was about to step out when movement caught his eye from down the hall. Sakura zipped past, hardly noticing him, and tumbled down the stairs.

As her footsteps faded, Kirio relaxed his hold on the pocketknife. He had been subconsciously gripping it in his hand as she'd run past.

Pocketing it without a second thought, he calmly walked downstairs into the kitchen, kicking aside clutter as he passed.

"I'm going into town today, guys. I know I said you were both grounded, but I'm not leaving you two here alone." Mr. Haruno's eyes swept from one child to the other as he set the plates in the sink. Kirio picked at his nails.

"Can we buy a tv?" He asked blandly. "Sorry bud, you can't get cable out here anyway." Sakura gazed out of the rainy window. "How about an umbrella?" Her dad glanced out the window as well. "I saw one around here somewhere, why don't you try poking around?"

Both children sighed and slipped their feet into worn sneakers, as their dad put out his cigarette and stepped outside. When all three had put on their seatbelts, he started the engine and rolled out of the driveway.

It was at least half an hour before they were standing in front of the local supermarket. It was nearly empty, and a muffled tune was playing in a tired sort of way out of old speakers.

"Out in the middle of fricken' nowhere.." Kirio mumbled, his hands in his pocket.

As they stood in line to check out, Sakura caught sight of a group of girls standing by a rack of candybars. "Ew, how can they put that in chocolate?" "Haha, I bet you'd eat it." "Only after you, _pig_!" She made an ugly face and pretended to stupidly munch on a candybar while the others laughed gleefully.

Mr. Haruno saw where Sakura was looking wistfully and pushed her foreword encouragingly. "Go on, say hello." He whispered. One of the girls caught sight of Sakura and was nudging the other two. All three now stared at her. Any hope of introducing herself seemed lost, and Sakura stared at her feet.

"Hi."

She quickly looked up. The tallest of the three was standing right in front of Sakura, making her step back an inch or so. "What's your name?" She had a rather loud voice, but sounded friendly at the same time.

"S-sakura." The other girls giggled, but the loud one just waved her hand at them impatiently.

"I'm Ino. Nice to meetchya." Sakura nodded. She had cyan blue eyes and blonde hair, with an unmistakable air of confidence about her. It suddenly seemed very important that Sakura make friends with this girl.

"Did you just move here? I heard the Castell Manor got bought. We live down the lane and across the street from it. You have a _super_ long driveway! What grade are you in? You look my age. Wanna come to my house? You should come over, we're watching a movie today."

Making friends with this girl didn't seem as quite important as it had eight seconds ago, which is about how long it had taken for Ino to complete her speech.

"That sounds like a great idea! How about it Saku-chan?" Her dad was obviously trying to encourage her. "My mom won't mind, c'mon!" And Ino dragged her off. Sakura supposed this was what a kidnapping felt like.

Yet another half hour later, Sakura was standing on the porch of a well-furnished house and a beautiful, well cared for garden. Ino's mother had cheerfully driven the girls home and was bustling about, making up snacks for them. The other two girls had introduced themselves as well. They were all very chatty, and had nothing better to do than exaggerate stories and gossip. Sitting in Ino's room, Sakura could just make out the roof of her house in the distance. There were other places she'd rather be at this moment, especially since conversation had now turned to the Castell Manor.

"I heard it changes its rooms around during the full moon!" On of the girls whispered, trying to sound secretive. The girls looked at Sakura, who shook her head. "Is it true that if you fall asleep in the bathtub you get sucked down the drain?" Sakura shook her head. They scooted close and muttered in a serious tone, "Does it _really _have a cursed fireplace that goes out every time it's lit?" Sakura shook her head.

"Is it haunted?" Sakura froze.

"I knew it!" Ino jumped up triumphantly and jabbed a finger at the house in the distance. "I heard a little girl _died _in that house! She got pushed off the roof! My grandma told me her best friend got accused, and she told me that he did too! And it was a.." Ino's voice was barely a whisper, "Murder…" The other two girls shrieked in delight at the though of such a scandel.

If Sakura had frozen before, it was nothing to the complete stillness she felt at this statement. Everything went numb as she stared, eyes wide, at the floor. All thoughts came to a sudden, abrupt, grinding halt. She hadn't even noticed Ino's mother entering the room with a plate of snacks. Ino turned and pulled on her mothers dress. "Mom, isn't it true that someone died in that house?" Her mother waved a hand and turned to Sakura.

"Don't you believe anything this girl tells you dear, she's only teasing." She tried to smile kindly, but it was a forced one, and Sakura knew it. She'd seen enough of them after her mother's death to know what they looked like.

"…Is it true?" Sakura's voice was hardly audible. Mrs. Yamanaka's mouth twitched and her eyes shifted nervously from the house to Sakura.

"Well.. It was a long time ago, I'm sure that-"

"Is it true?"

A long stretch of silence followed, and Mrs. Yamanaka shot an angry glare at her daughter before settling in an armchair. She looked over at the manor and sighed, as if simply living so close to the house tired her.

"Now mind you, most of this was told to me by _my _mother, who was only a baby at the time and heard it from _her _mother." The girls all scooted in closer, eager to hear the details that had been kept from them for so long.

"During the Depression, people who couldn't afford to keep up their own homes paid rent to stay in the manor, so several families were staying there at the same time." The girls nodded, so she continued. "The owners of the house, the Aoyama's, were poor to begin with, and they had inherited the house anyway. Now the second family to move in was Mr. Meioh and his adopted son, Itachi." Sakura's jaw clenched. "The Aoyama child and Itachi got along well enough, and being cooped up in that house, became fast friends. But then…"

She paused and sighed again. "Momoko fell off the roof while they were playing one day, and died, and her mother, Satsuki, blamed Itachi."

The girls stared, oblivious to the fact that Sakura had both hands over her mouth. She had no idea that murder played a part in the secret she'd discovered. She'd had no clue that the diary page that lie beneath her bed belonged to a possible victim of murder. For the first time in a long while, Sakura felt horribly afraid. Her fun little secret was turning into something dangerous.

Ino's mother went on. "The boy denied he'd done anything, but Satsuki demanded he be locked up, or taken away. The reason why she hated he boy wasn't clear. It may be that she just needed someone to point the blame at. Either way, Itachi was accused of pushing Momoko. But the day the verdict was reached, he was found dead in the fourth floor attic, laying in a trunk."

She turned to the shocked girls, and smiled sadly.

"It's sad to think that if he'd only waited a little longer, he would've been proven innocent."

Sakura buried her face in her arms, trying with every ounce of willpower not to cry. She truly believed that Itachi was innocent, but the thought of him having to live with a horribly misplaced blame affected her deeply. Mrs. Yamanaka turned thoughtfully to look at the house in the distance. "I wonder.." She said softly, speaking more to herself than the children around her

"I wonder if he's still waiting in that house, to be proven right. I wonder if he's still waiting for justice, for that verdict." Tears slid down Sakura's cheeks as she bowed her head, and quietly cried.

"_Itachi?"_

"_Hm."_

"_Do you, uh, do you live here?" She looked at him curiously. He merely looked back and answered._

"_Yes..." _

"_I'm waiting for something very important to me…"_

000

So, just a little recap/more info. Mr. Haruno's on the first floor, Kirio's room is on the second, and Sakura's is on the third. There's a big, fancy dining room on the first, but the Haruno's just use the kitchen. Also, the fourth floor isn't _all_ attic, it has a hallway with several small rooms in it as well, but no bedrooms. Until next time, dears.

Next chapter, The deaths are revealed!


	6. Chapter 6

LIGHT IN THE ATTIC: Re-written as of 8-2-08

To make clear a few things: Some of y'all were wondering if there'll be a timeskip. Yes, for sure. When I was thinking this up, I originally had Sakura in her very late teens, but I wanted to build up the story first. Also, about Kirio: He's the _antagonist!_ (with a knife!) So if he seems like a wicked little brat, it's because he's _supposed_ to be. He is a threat to the main character, and is a little crazy-evil on purpose. Um, also, Itachi didn't push Momoko, but he saw her fall. (he didn't fall, though.) -.- Just to clear up any confusion.

000

_If a pin had dropped, Itachi wouldn't have heard it. Nothing could compete with the complete and utter silence that pressed in around him. She'd been sitting on the railing, mere seconds ago, singing along to a tune that played from a music box. But when she stopped suddenly, Itachi had looked up, only to find she wasn't there._

_How could someone fall so fast?_

_He later wondered if she had screamed. Perhaps she had wanted to, but no sound had come out. He thought about what had gone through her head as she fell past all four floors. Perhaps confusion, or fear. He wondered how it must have felt, hitting the ground. Had she died on impact? Had she seen him looking down at her, unable to think or speak or breathe?_

_She looked like a little rag doll, carelessly dropped. Part of him wanted to believe that it had never happened, but another half knew that nothing could be done. That half of him was looking down four stories at Momoko's small, lifeless body. A tear formed in his eye and fell like a raindrop. Momoko never felt it hit her face. She was already dead._

_Somewhere in the distance, in what felt like another world, Itachi could hear a music box playing softly._

_--_

_It was obvious that today was going to be another day of hiding. He was sick of hiding from Satsuki Aoyama. He hated living in fear of her misplaced blame. Itachi shivered and pulled his legs up. Despite the attic's warmth, he felt unpleasantly cold. He was leaning against a trunk, flipping through a leather diary. There, he saw it. Another page with his name written on it in blobby black ink. Itachi placed his hand on top of the diary and carefully tore out the page._

_Mrs. Aoyama was spending more and more time looking through Momoko's old belongings nowadays, and he'd made sure to grab a few things from her room before the woman could get her claws on them. But Itachi knew she'd be looking for Momoko's diary soon, so he set to work ripping out any and all pages that mentioned him._

_A loud thump was heard beneath his feet. Mrs. Aoyama had started early today. Turning out desk drawers, checking behind pictures, even ripping up floorboards. She was fiercely determined to find some evidence that Itachi had wanted to cause her daughters death. Not surprisingly, she was the only one who thought him guilty. He was saving every precious memory from her diary. Every day they spent together would be locked away, someplace safe. He wasn't going to let anyone, not even Satsuki, taint their long lost golden afternoons._

_Only one page left. He read it slowly, savoring every word. It was about the music box, and the roof. His heart clenched painfully at the thought. He had purposely broken the latch holding the ladder that led to the roof. If anyone tugged on the string that pulled down the ladder, they'd be knocked in the face as it slid down it's shaft. And that was only if someone dragged a chair in the room to stand on. He'd already thrown out the stepladder one would use to reach the string._

_The flat bit of roof they'd played had only felt dangerous to Itachi after Momoko fell._

_Itachi tore the page out slowly. 'Just this one.' He thought, 'I'll just keep one.' And he placed it in a cardboard box, along with the music box. He'd done his best to fix it for Momoko, but it had only worked on rare occasions. It seemed to need fixing every time it played. He remembered how it's faint, delicate tune had comforted them. It dried up tears and washed away sadness. Whenever they'd truly needed it to play, it had played. But it was silent now, turning slowly and noiselessly. Itachi wondered if it would ever play again._

_The sound of footsteps coming closer to the attic door brought him to his senses. He snatched up a stapler and crushed the lid closed. The last one was set in place when the loud creak of a door opening sounded throughout the room._

"_Itachi, what are you doing?"_

"_Nothing, Meioh-san."_

_The man smiled, his mustache bristling. He whispered quietly and pointed at the floor. "Well it had better stay that way, the harpy is having a fit." And he gave a friendly wink before closing the door softly._

_Itachi couldn't bring himself to smile back. He knew Mr. Meioh was going through hell trying to defend him against Satsuki's wrath. He knew the policemen would return. They had no other evidence, they were going to accuse him, he was sure of it. He knew his days were numbered._

_It wouldn't be long now. Sometime soon, he was sure he'd be seeing Momoko again._

_He only had to wait._

_-_

"_Dead?"_

"_Yes, sir."_

"Dead?!

"Yes_, sir."_

_Mr. Meioh rounded on the Sheriff. "How?" The Sheriff made a motion with his hands that told Mr. Meioh to keep his voice down. He paid no attention and yelled louder, terrified and angry._

"How?!"

_The two policemen on either side of the Sheriff glanced at each other. It was nearly 2 o' clock in the morning, and every resident of the Castella manor was in the dining room._

_Every member, that is, but Itachi. Who according to the sheriff, was dead._

"_He was found at around 11 o 'clock, in the fourth floor attic." The sheriff paused, and he spoke his next statement while his eyes swept over the residents. "He was found in a trunk. The body has already been removed from the house."_

_Mr. Meioh sat down, shaking, and placed his head in his hands._

"_Satsuki.." His voice was quiet, but in the near silent room, everyone heard him. "Did you have anything to do with this?" Everyone was staring at either Mrs. Aoyama or Mr. Meioh. The woman narrowed her eyes, and her knuckles turned white under the grip she had on her chair. When she spoke, her voice shook with suppressed anger. "How dare you…" The sheriff took a step towards the two. "C'mon now, we haven't determined if this was a homicide or not.. Although it appears to have been suffocation, it might be a suici-"_

_Satsuki stood up quickly and faced him. Her face was hideously twisted in rage, and her shriek was like venom._

"_I did not kill that little shit-head murderer!!"_

_Itachi awoke with a start. A voice seemed to be reverberating throughout the house. He thought he'd heard a woman screeching._

_But to say he 'awoke' would be an understatement._

_Itachi had the strange sensation that he'd never really fallen asleep, just become temporarily unaware of himself. It was as if he'd forgotten he existed for a moment. He felt disconnected from something, as though a chain had broken somewhere in the dark. As Itachi sat up, thoughts and memories came flooding back to him. He sat in the dusty trunk for a long time, going over what had happened hours before his death. It was a while before he realized he wasn't even breathing. Itachi scrunched himself up and hugged his legs, although he was fully aware of the fact that he would never feel cold again._

_In the absence of all feelings, one could start to miss any feeling, even if it was something as miserable as coldness._

000

Thooper. I've got a ton of other versions describing how Itachi felt after he died. Death is surprisingly fun to write about, but I didn't want to stretch this one out.

Thank you so much for the comments so far, I love hearing what you guys think of it!

Until next time.


	7. Chapter 7

LIGHT IN THE ATTIC: Re-written as of 8-2-08

Chapter 7.

This, along with a few other chapters, is the reason why this fic is M. If you don't want to read a rather brutal and violent murder, turn back. I really want to finish this part up.. and get to the short timeskip. This fic is nearing it's end.

000

The Haruno's old Ford rolled up the long gravel drive and came to a halt at the end. It was evening by the time Sakura's father had picked her up from Ino's house, after a short talk with Mrs. Yamanaka. Ino's mother was under the impression that her story had scared Sakura to tears, and had done her best to console her. But none of them knew the real reason why she'd been crying, and Sakura had hiccupped all the way to the house.

Sakura had lost all wanting to go the attic. Something was different when she thought of Itachi, and she wasn't sure if she could bear to talk to him now. She felt foolish for thinking of him as a thing. Like a blanket to run to when she needed comfort. She felt as if she'd degraded his spirit. She scolded herself for not remembering: spirits only lingered behind when they had unfinished business. Itachi hadn't been in that attic because Sakura had needed him. Knowing this, she wasn't sure what to do. How was she supposed to help him find peace, to move on? Mrs. Yamanaka had already said that he'd been declared not guilty, what more did he need?

Sakura thought hard. The reason this mess had started was because Satsuki Aoyama had blamed Itachi. But he obviously hadn't pushed Momoko.

Satsuki…

Sakura paused.

She was halfway down the hall to her room when she stopped. 'He's not waiting for justice..' She thought. 'He's waiting for… forgiveness? For not keeping an eye on her when she fell?' It was the only explanation she could think of. Mrs. Aoyama had lived out her last days in this house, always hating Itachi, even after his death. She'd never forgiven him for the thing he'd never done. Itachi probably hadn't known what to do with the stress. So then, he must have started believing it really was his fault. This clarification hadn't brought a solution, however. Sakura sat on her bed and stared at the ceiling above her.

'I want to help you. What do I do?'

With a sigh, she crawled into bed and turned off her lamp. Moonlight fell softly through her window and illuminated the pale butterflies on the wall.

--

Itachi stood in the darkest part of the attic. His eyes were closed.

He'd felt something growing in the house that he hadn't felt in a long time.. Hate. Unfocused loathing almost radiated in ripples from somewhere in the Manor, and it was notably strong. Itachi slowly opened his crimson eyes. Her brother… That had to be it. He was the sole reason for Sakura's sadness since she'd come to this house. Why he hated her, Itachi didn't know. But the boy's foul nature had permeated the walls themselves, and Itachi could feel every ounce of his bitterness. It was just like before, when he could almost smell danger approaching.

He stared at the floor beneath his feet and thought..

'I want to help you.. I don't want a repeat of myself.'

--

It was impossible to fall asleep. It had to be past midnight, at least. It wasn't the fact that she was now nine that kept Sakura awake, it was Itachi's story. It was haunting every corner of her mind. She lay on her side, trying to figure out why and how Itachi's death had come into all this. Trying to push it out of her head and falling asleep was futile. It was the familiar feeling one had after watching a horror movie. The worst scenes kept repeating themselves over and over, until you have to sit up in bed and listen, to make sure there's nobody lurking in your closet. But it was the attic that had someone lurking in it.

Sakura pulled off the covers and crouched next to her bed. She slid her box towards her and carefully took out the broken music box. Sakura stood up and walked briskly towards her door, a sense of purpose about her. It was more than curiosity now. She wanted to know the truth about her Ita-kun's death, for the sole purpose of helping him.

Sakura wouldn't allow for hesitation. She had to know.

Kirio's eyes snapped open at the sound of creaking floor above him. He slowly got out of bed and climbed to the top of the third floor landing. Peering into the hallway, he observed as his sister climbed up the stairs at the end of the hall. Kirio narrowed his eyes. What secret did she have that required her to sneak around so late at night?

He quietly got to his feet, and made his way to the stairs that led to the fourth floor, the pocketknife's weight in his pajama pocket,

Sakura closed the door to the attic and stepped inside. She didn't call out his name this time, just waited patiently. She felt rather than saw the pair of deep red eyes in the shadows. Sakura forced her legs to move foreword. It wasn't Itachi himself that scared her; it was the truth she wanted to hear from him. And now that she was standing in front of him, part of her wasn't sure if she wanted to hear it anymore. But she couldn't turn back now, this secret had to be unearthed.

Grasping the little box in her hand, Sakura looked up into his face. She spoke quietly, her voice little more than a whisper.

"How did you die?"

Itachi's expression remained unreadable and he crouched down so he was at eye level with her. Although he said nothing, Sakura wondered if he somehow knew that it was important for her to hear the truth. He reached out a hand, and Sakura realized he was asking for the music box. She gently placed it in his hands, and he opened it. It was silent.

"It only plays when you truly need it to." She could hear the seriousness in his tone, as he spoke in a whisper; he looked back up at her. "Do you really want to know?" No hesitation. Sakura nodded, and looked back into his eyes. They were a glorious, bright red. Sakura gasped, and she felt as though she were being dragged into a lightless tunnel, never to see the daylight again.

A piercing scream flew through cold, night air and Sakura turned towards the door of the attic. But was it the attic? It was nearly empty, only a few boxes stood in the corner, and there wasn't a cobweb in sight. Confused, Sakura looked around for Itachi, but he was nowhere to be seen. The door to the attic crashed open without warning, and a terrifying sight met her eyes.

A middle-aged woman in a long, black dress was looming overhead, her features pinched into a hideous scowl. In one hand she held a crumpled piece of paper, in the other.. Itachi. It was unmistakably a younger Itachi Uchiha, being pulled by his hair. Satsuki Aoyama jerked violently on her prisoner's head, forcing him into the room. She furiously kicked the door shut and threw him the floor, where he put his arms up protectively and attempted to move away from her. She unfolded the paper in her hand and read it to herself, nostrils flaring, then threw it at him. Although it was only paper, he flinched.

"You played with her on the roof?! This is _proof_!" She screamed, "You dragged my daughter up there and _pushed_ her, didn't you, you filthy bastard- _Come here!!" _

She grabbed his leg as he was attempting to crawl away and pulled him into a standing position with his arm, before hitting him in the face. The force of her blow knocked him down again. Itachi didn't make a sound. He wasn't going to cry. He wasn't going to show this woman weakness. She pointed, shaking with rage, at the paper. "That diary page is proof! You nasty, little creep.. You must have _forced_ her to write _nice_ things about you!" Her boot came down on his hand. "How could you do that, _how dare you?!" _She looked utterly mad. Her eyes were wide, spittle flew from her thin-lipped mouth, and her hair was ragged and unkempt.

Satsuki bent down and wrapped her bony fingers around his throat, and Itachi showed real fear for the first time. His eyes widened as he tried to claw at her arms. Anyone could see by her face that she was delusional. Satsuki's grip only tightened as he struggled silently.

Sakura wanted to scream, to tell her to stop, but she knew there was nothing she could do. This was the truth she had asked for, and a horrible, brutal truth it was.. Satsuki lifted him by the neck, the silhouette of the two in the moonlight carved itself into Sakura's memory. Tears streamed down her face and she watched in silence as Itachi choked noisily.

The woman jerked him up one last time, then turned on the spot and dropped him into an opened trunk beside her. She slammed down the lid and threw her weight on it as Itachi pounded on the lid from the inside. "Let him out, please let him out.." Sakura cried, knowing full well that nobody would hear her. She could feel Itachi's terror, his panic.

Satsuki rested her head on the trunk, shaking. "My daughter, my poor daughter..." She closed her eyes and whispered between sobs, "She hates you for what you did, she'll never forgive you.."

The thumping from inside the trunk subsided, and then ceased altogether.

000

I guess Itachi was using the Sharingan, in an odd, AU sort of way.

'Til next time.


	8. Chapter 8

My goodness

My goodness.. I was really hoping this would just fall off the face of the earth but nooo, I just had see an e-mail from a review, during my bi-annual email checking, reminding me that this still existed. Why did you read that far back on the pages of ff's? (sob) Right, it's 4 30 in the morning and I am going to finish the damn thing. Can you believe it's been **almost 4 months** since I updated?? I never even knew where the hell I was taking this anyway, so I'm sorry for the wrap up ending.

Here goes nothing or something.

000

Sakura pressed her face into her hands. The saying 'be careful what you wish for' didn't even begin to express what she was feeling. She was beyond sadness and past shocked.

Unaware of her surroundings, she crumpled to the floor, sitting on her legs. She'd finally learned the truth, but had it really been worth it? She slowly lifted her eyes to Itachi's face. She tried to see beyond the darkness of his eyes, she tried to find some word to say that would allow his tired spirit to find rest. 'It wasn't your fault? There was nothing you could have done?' They just didn't seem adequate. Sakura, ever the crybaby, sobbed harder and rested her head on a box beside her. She cried until her face was moist and her eyes were red, and she finally began to feel tired.

And that's when it started playing.

The most haunting of melodies reached her ears. It's sound was clear, but quiet, as if it was afraid to play. It's hesitant notes sounded throughout the room, and Sakura soon found herself being lulled into sleep by it's sweet, eerie sound. Even as the music box patiently waited for her slumber, its melody never faltered. The song continued to play slowly as Sakura's tears subsided and her breathing deepened. Her head dropped to her shoulders as she slowly drifted into a peaceful sleep. The music box continued to play.

Itachi placed the music box down beside Sakura. He set an arm gently around her, aware that he could offer no comforting heat, and waited patiently for the attic door to open, as he knew it would.

Kirio sat hunched over on the other side of the attic door for a very long time, thinking about the past week, piecing the events together. He was completely sure that he'd heard crying, voices, and a music box. What the hell had been going on in that attic? He gripped the small pocketknife in his hands and stood up to open the door. As he stepped in, Kirio couldn't help but gag at the reek of old cardboard and must. Attics were such disgusting places. A few more steps into the room, and there was Sakura, sleeping against a box. The air stopped in Kirio's lungs. Some..thing was beside her. What looked to be an imprint of shadows had what Kirio guessed to be an arm around Sakura's shoulders. He took a step foreword, his anger rising, and his vision suddenly blurred. He felt irrational- he had to place his hate from losing his mother somewhere. All that grief that was locked away, he had no place to put it, he had to put it somewhere… Sakura…

The boy stared straight ahead, the scene of his mother holding Sakura in her arms floating up from his memory to the surface. He had so little memory of his mother. It was wrong, a sin, that each of them had Sakura in it as well. It was always her, stealing precious time away from Kirio. The sight of Itachi embracing his sister overlapped with the one of his mother, fueling his rage to the boiling point. There simply wasn't a choice; he had to get rid of her. 'Get rid of her get rid of her _get rid of her!' _His insane thoughts began to take shape, telling him what must be done. Satsuki's rage and insanity blended with his.

Without hesitation, he lunged foreword absurdly and raised the knife above his head. '_Get rid of her!' _Itachi was ready for him. His arm snapped up and he caught Kirio's small hand in his own. Itachi's eyes were a menacing crimson, but an unexpected flash of lightning blazed across his face, and they momentarily became a bright red. The effect made Kirio step back in temporary fear, but his shock swiftly turned to anger again. He twisted his hand out of Itachi's hold and whipped his knife-wielding arm back again. It shot ahead once more, this time making a stab for Itachi, who grabbed Kirio's elbow and jerked him upwards. The strength of Itachi's crushing grip made Kirio's eyes widen as he felt his feet leave the floor. Through his pain and blurred vision, another flash of lightning illuminated the room. Sakura was standing directly behind Itachi, awake, and staring up at the scene playing out before her, terror etched in every shadow of her face.

"No, Itachi put him down!" She screamed, but Itachi could see no reason as to why he should releas the would-be murderer. It was instinct that kept him from setting Kirio down. It was the knowledge that he could protect a friend this time around. Itachi gripped the boy's arm tighter and willed himself away, vanishing in the darkness between lightning flashes. Sakura blinked. They were gone, yet she knew exactly where they were. She ran from the attic into the next room, searching the ceiling desperately. She saw the thick yellowed string and reached up to yank it as hard as she could. Just as she thought, the ladder came tumbling down from the chute. If she had been a few inches taller, the ladder would have crashed right into her head. Sakura quickly scrambled up the ancient wood and didn't stop until she hit the thin panel separating her from the roof.

"I have to get rid of her I have to get rid of her!" Kirio now verbally announced his crazed mission. Delusional, he swung his feet around, trying to catch ground to stand on. He could see Sakura being held by their beautiful mother. Sakura was being held by a comforting Itachi, then their mother, then Itachi. Comforted and loved. The loud rumbling of thunder did not wake him from his insane visions. He twisted his wrist around, trying to move the knife enough to cut whatever was holding him. Had he looked down, he would have seen anger far greater than his own. Itachi, still holding the boy up by the arm, began to slowly move towards the edge of the rusted railing.

Sakura burst from the flat door on the roof, dust mingling with the stormy night air. She dashed to where Itachi stood at the edge of the roof. She'd already seen one child die that night, and Sakura wasn't about to let another one meet the same fate. "Itachi, stop! Please, don't drop him!" Lighting flashed again. The trees seemed to shudder with every roll of thunder that announced the coming weather. Gusts of wind swept through the low, dark clouds, as if they were pulling the storm itself. "Itachi, _please!!" _Sakura begged. As if on cue, rain began bombarding every inch of the roof, falling mercilessly on their faces. Soaked within seconds, Sakura ran desperately towards the two as the sky tore itself open and more lighting stabbed at the clouds.

"Itachi, stop it, please put him down!!" Itachi didn't turn away from Kirio, who began screaming the moment Sakura appeared at their side. "He tried to _kill _you, Sakura!" Itachi's yell was louder than Kirio and the thunder combined. Sakura, bewildered, took a small step back. She felt as if her heart had suddenly become drenched by his words. Itachi, Ita-kun, had never yelled before, he was always kind. He'd never yelled at her.

But Kirio had.

He was always yelling at her. It was all she'd ever known him to do. Kicks, tugs, slaps, cruel words, and teasing. It was all he ever was. Sakura now turned her shocked and appalled gaze to her brother, who continued to scream at her over the sound of rain.

"I hate you, I've got to kill you, get rid of you _get rid of you_!!" Kirio's face was scrunched in rage. Surely, her death would then equal his happiness. He aimed his feet at Sakura's head, causing Itachi to extend his arm further, to the point where Kirio was now dangling over the edge of the four-floor house. Sakura's mouth went dry. Despite every moment of crying over Kirio's hurtful actions, she couldn't will herself to want another person dead. It was too much.

"Let me go, she has to die! She has to die!" He was now screaming, "She has to!" Sakura leaned against the railing, holding up her arms in an attempt to pull Kirio to safety. "Itachi, please let him go…" She sobbed. Kirio made another kick for Sakura. Itachi opened his hand and released him. He had not stepped back before doing so. Kirio's feet had not been over the safety of the railing.

For a split moment, while yet another explosion of light crackled from above, it looked as if he was going to plummet to his death. But Sakura's extended hand had caught her brother's wrist just in time. Kirio, unaware of being dangled four floors from death, screeched at the contact of their skin. Her searing touch felt to him like hot coals on ice.

In a last and final effort to bring fatal harm to Sakura, he lifted the hand holding the knife to Sakura's arm and dug the blade deep into her skin. She'd never felt such pain in her life. Sakura cried out in agony and looked down at her brother. He was smiling happily.

Sakura felt his hand sliding out of hers, her grip slackening, and watched as his smiling face plummeted into the darkness below.

Thick blood flowed from the deep wound in her arm, rolling down her palm, to the very tips of her fingers, and fell to the ground far below. Kirio never felt the warmth of his sisters life hit his face. He was already dead.

000

One more chapter, I think, and then maybe a prologue. Then this story can be put to rest for good.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

000

"_Oh my god, Sakura, Sakura! Please be alive, please…" "911, What is the state of your emergency?" "KIRIO!!" "Get that IV!" "Sakura, please, no!" "I'm so sorry, Mr. Haruno. Your son…" "…No." "We expect there's going to be noticeable scarring on her arm. It's incredible she lived through so much blood loss." "…Thank you, doctor." "She must have one hell of a guardian angel, huh?"_

…

_Beep beep beep._

Wait…

She'd heard this sound before. It was one of those weird heart beeping things in hospitals. She couldn't remember the name of them just now…

Beep beep.

"I think another day of rest might be good for her, Mr. Haruno. The blood loss was severe, she should be fine soon, though."

_**Beep.**_

Sakura's fingers moved a fraction of an inch. She steadily pulled air into her lungs and exhaled it out just as slowly. She'd never realized how wonderful breathing was before.

Someone was holding her right hand. Was it Itachi? No, someone warm. A human. She closed her fingers around the comforting palm and carefully opened her brilliant green eyes. Her father's weary and confused face was staring nervously down at her. "Saku-chan? Hey, Sakura. You're ok, I'm right here…" His voice cracked and fresh sobs sounded.

She looked around the hospital room, and a tidal wave of memory crashed over her. The attic, Itachi, the music box, the knife, Kirio. Everything was becoming clear; her thoughts were losing their fuzzy edge.

"Dad..?" Sakura's voice was small and quiet. Her father lifted his head. He could see her question before she asked. "Is Kirio… Did he…?" Sakura saw the pain flit through her father's tired features. He tightly squeezed her hand, "Sakura, I'm so sorry. He, he… S-Sakura, what happened? What happened to you?"

Sakura tightened her lips. She carefully shifted her head to see her other arm. It was layered with gauze, and felt stiff. She recalled the excruciating pain of the knife piercing her skin. "He-" Sakura tried to begin, but she too, couldn't finish. She had too much heart to break her father's own. Maybe someday, she'd find the strength to tell him. For now, however, she only wanted to sleep. So that's just what Sakura did.

000

The funeral had been odd. With barely even a handful of living relatives close enough to fly in for the funeral, and only Ino's family, it seemed strangely small for someone who'd had such a huge impact on Sakura's life. Ino had very quietly inquired as to what happened after the hospital sent her home, but Sakura still couldn't find a way to put the event into words properly. The small, old town's reaction to Kirio's death was extremely predictable. New family moves into an old "haunted" house, and a child soon dies in almost the exact same way as a previous death. Oh yes, the town was quick to develop many theories as to what _really_ happened, all of them as outrageous as the one's before. The Haruno's paid this no mind. Sakura, in a knee length black dress, watched as dirt piled up around her brother's small coffin, and she decided on the spot she didn't like the smell of earth. After the few people attending the funeral got into their cars and drove off, Sakura and her dad stood beside her brother's grave for a very, very long time.

The wound on her arm hadn't even healed, and already her father was talking about moving away. Where to, it didn't matter. Sakura didn't care, as long as it didn't have an attic. She no longer had any reason for hiding in the far corners of the house. In the end they decided to move down south, where the weather was warm and sunny.

A week after the funeral, Sakura sat on her bed and gazed out the window. She had not been to the attic since the night of her brother's death. A pale, late noon sun washed the butterfly wallpaper in a gray light, but was enough to not have a light on. She had done a lot of thinking since waking up in the hospital, and Sakura had found herself surprised upon deciding something. She had realized that if people in the world are going to drag you down, hurt you, upset you, than they couldn't possibly be worth getting hung up over. She wasn't going to allow herself to linger on something that was never there to begin with. Sakura wasn't going to let Kirio's memory bother her the way he'd done while living. It simply was not worth her time.

Beside her on the bed was a small pile of papers. One was an extremely old diary entry that she was leaving in the care of the town historian. Another was Ino's address and phone number, which Ino had made Sakura promise to call. The third was a print-off from a computer, showing different angles of a bright house in the Carolinas with little window boxes and a neatly trimmed lawn. On the floor beside the bed there were boxes already filled with her clothes and belongings. She had only just unpacked them less than three weeks ago, and already the wind seemed to be carrying her off somewhere else. A thump from downstairs told her that her father was moving boxes into their car already. Sakura leapt up from her bed and began pushing her own boxes down the stairs.

The car door slammed on their old Ford Windstar, causing the whole vehicle to shake. Sakura was standing in the paint chipped doorway, inches away from stepping outside. Her heart was beating madly inside her chest. She still hadn't gone to the attic... Sakura didn't think she could handle seeing Itachi, or not seeing him, as he might not even be there at all. But if she left now, she might not ever know… Mr. Haruno turned to Sakura, seeing that she was clearly hesitating. "Are you forgetting anything, Saku-chan?" Sakura looked up at him. Of course she was. But that's the way she wanted it to be, for now. Until she was ready, that's how it was going to be. With Itachi pushed into the back of her mind for the time being, Sakura stepped out the door and made her way to the car. She didn't look back at the house as they rolled out of the loud and crunching driveway.

000

I can't believe you guys weren't all like "Wow, miss author, what the _shit_ happened to this fic, anyway?" I'd be pissed if someone didn't update for so long with no explanation.. XD Thanks thanks thanks for sticking with this, even though I was uncommitted and kept breaking promises of more/longer chapters. Hope you enjoyed it all the same, and despite it's dark mood, it was fun to write.

Go go, read the epilogue! pushes you foreword lightly


	10. Epilogue

Epilogue

Epilogue

000

The soft tinkling of silverware and plates filled the warm, cheery room as the mumble of conversation buzzed about like friendly bees. Occasionally, laughter would burst from a section of the long dining table, followed by smiles and blushes. The Castell Manor was alive with people for the first time in almost a century, although it was now called the Town of Castell Historical Center. Also a bed and breakfast, the old house was celebrating it's grand opening as the town's oldest standing building. The history surrounding the structure had fueled its reputation for being the town's precious and potential moneymaker for a small trickle of tourists and ghost hunters.

The huge dining room glowed with cheerful faces and polite talk. Ladies wore fancy chiffon and silk gowns, and men were dressed in their finest suits. Towards one of the table ends, a young lady with long, wavy hair sat beside an older man with unshaven stubble. He was muttering a rather rude joke to her about the man sitting across from them, causing her to giggle and poke at his shoulder. "How rude," she told him in mock accusation. "That's the mayor you're making fun of." The man across from them, apparently under the impression that someone wanted to talk to him, turned his head about and said in his booming voice, "Someone want to talk to me? Yes?" He peered through his glasses at the people across from him. "Did you say something dear?" The mayor shouted, much to the dislike of the people around him. "No, no, Mr. Mayor, I was just telling my daughter a funny tale I heard from a guy few weeks back 'bout a cat who…" Mr. Haruno went off on a long, stupid story about nothing at all. He purposefully mumbled throughout his tale, so that the mayor would lean further over the table to hear. "What? What? I'm sorry dear boy but I can't hear a damned thing, speak up!" Sakura gritted her teeth to keep from laughing at her dad's teasing.

With her father distracted with the mayor, she reached out a hand to his champagne glass and carefully brought it to her. "Don't even think about it, Saku-chan." Sakura set the glass down, disappointed. "Oh for god's sake, dad. Chill! I wasn't, like, actually gonna drink it." She rolled her eyes as if the thought of her drinking champagne was absolutely preposterous. Her dad shrugged. "You can't wait two more years? Fine, get shit faced. I ain't hauling you back to the hotel. By the time you recover from your first hangover, I'll be miles away back home." Sakura could easily detect the sarcasm in his voice, laughing at it as the mayor stood up. He lightly tapped a fork against his delicate glass, upon which Sakura thought she saw a crack form. His booming voice filled the room easily.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for attending the bicentennial of Castell, we're a two hundred year old town and damned proud of it!" Because of his rosy cheeks, it was hard to tell if he was tipsy or not. "We've had a lot of history in this town. Some good, some not so good..." Sakura was immediately able to detect several glances from up and down the long table of people. She couldn't say they were unexpected, of course. The mayor's speech droned on and on, and she quickly found herself growing quite bored. Sakura leaned back in her seat and caught the eye of a pretty blonde girl in a dark purple gown. Sakura and Ino rolled their eyes in unison and smirked. Minutes crept by. The mayor was now announcing the names of some long dead people who had founded the businesses of Castell. Sakura rested her elbow on the table. She wanted to break away from these small town gossipers and go upstairs. Now that she was back in this house after ten years, she knew visiting the attic was unavoidable. Her father sensed her growing impatience and nudged her elbow. She looked at him, and understanding passed between them in the form of a smile.

Sakura rose from the table, and mumbled a quick "Bathroom" before politely leaving the room, her long, pale pink dress with white ribbon trim trailing behind. She could feel several eyes on her as she did so. Once around the corner, she made her way to the foot of the newly polished and carpeted stairs, and looked up. There were no lights on the third or fourth floor. Maybe they hadn't cleaned up that area, or it was now for storage. Every historical object in existence of Castell was now piled around the walls of the house. Old sepia photo's sat on spindly little tables with boring facts about when they were taken. Musty gray quilts with fading colors decorated shelves, and the walls were crammed with framed documents that nobody could read anyway. Sakura lifted a heeled shoe and placed it on the bottom stair. She lifted another foot, and quietly stepped up each stair. When she reached the third floor, she walked down the hallway to her old room. It seemed so much smaller than it did in her memory. Dust swirled up with every step she took. She very gently opened the door and peaked inside. The fading butterfly wallpaper curled at the edges, and the floor was still a scuffed, unpolished brown. The only piece of furniture still there was the bed, although a different quilt not lay over it. Moonlight fell through the open curtains and lit up a dusty patch of wood, turning the scene into a picture perfect moment. Sakura couldn't help but smile at this. The sound of loud laughter drifted up from the dining room, and she quietly closed the door and scuffled back to the stairs, pausing momentarily to breathe deeply before walking up one more flight.

And there it was. At the end of the dark hallway, a thick wooden door was barely visible. Sakura's pulse flew up, and she began walking along the hall, closing the distance between herself and this attic; a distance that ten years and the death of her brother had made larger. The doorknob was cold dull. Sakura rested her hands on its chilly surface and pressed an ear to the door. All was silent. The sounds of the happy banquet didn't reach up here, and all Sakura could hear was her own loud heartbeat. She tightened her grip on the knob, and very slowly pushed open the door.

The smell of cardboard and dust brought an avalanche of nostalgia, and the heat from the naturally warm room enveloped her like an embrace. But there was one piece missing from her long missed sanctuary. Sakura stepped into the room and walked around piles of boxes, carefully focusing on every dark shadow. She looked in every corner twice before sighing, and then made her way to the small square of moonlit floor by the window. She waited, and waited, and waited a long time before finally sitting down. The waiting felt like an eternity after so many years.

Defeated and dusty, she rested her head on her knees and closed her eyes, allowing her mind to dive into her childhood memories. She had wanted to see him so badly, wanted to apologize for not saying goodbye, to tell him she held no grudge for what he did that night. And the most important thing of all- that it was not his fault Momoko had died.

'I can't see him…' And Sakura, who had abandoned and buried her crybaby self for so long, let tears fall freely from her eyes. They rolled down her cheeks and landed on the floor, as she shut them tight and pulled the fabric of her dress closer.

"Lady, why are you crying?"

Sakura's head shot up, her heart missing a beat. An "Oh!" of surprise was as all she could manage.

He hadn't changed at all; his beautiful, deep red eyes were alight, and his mouth slanted up in the slightest of all smiles, turning his flawless face into a masterpiece. As he stood over her, he extended a hand. Sakura, fingers over her mouth, raised a hand shakily to his. She gently placed her slender palm in his and he just as gently raised her to her feet. There they stood, her hands in his, she in a moonlit gown, and he in a suit of shadows. It was now or never, Sakura thought while looking up at him.

"Itachi," she choked, "I'm so sorry I didn't say goodbye, I'm so sorry I made you wait, I don't know why, I was afraid of seeing y-" He put his hand on her cheek and brushed away a tear. "Sakura, it will be worth the wait if you tell me," She gazed at him, confused. "Tell me if you blame me for what happened." She immediately shook her head. "No, I never blamed you, Ita-kun! And neither did Momoko, she would never blame you, none of us would have!" She let her lead fall on the shoulder she could now reach. "I never, ever blamed you… I knew you were innocent, it was just that wicked Satsuki. I'm sorry I didn't tell you." Itachi, had he been breathing, would have let out the longest sighs of relief. He held her close in his forever-comforting embrace. Sakura cried now, not out of despair but of joy at their reunion.

After a long while, Sakura lifted her head to look into his face. "I meant to say thank you, for that time on the roof. You were always helping me." She smiled at him, and, sadly smiling in return, he took a step back. Sakura gasped, realizing that, after years of waiting, he no longer had any reason to stay. "You're leaving..?" Itachi raised her head with his hand. He placed a light kiss on her forehead, her cheek, and finally the softest of kisses on her lips.

Sakura watched as he took another step away from her. As she felt his heatless hand sliding out of hers, something colder touched her palm, and she looked down to see him placing a small, metal object in her hands. It tinkered to life as Itachi took a final step back, out of the patch of moonlight. While the music box played quietly in one hand, Sakura raised her other to Itachi, in her last sign of farewell. "Bye, Ita-kun. Thank you, Sorry, and goodbye." She whispered, as another tear slipped out, and Itachi smiled before closing his own eyes. "No, it's you who should be thanked… Sakura." Her name was a soft breeze.

Sakura's long pink hair was blown back as a dust-raising wind swept through the warm attic. Her dress was blown about her knees and cobwebs disconnected from their beams.

When Sakura lowered her arm, Itachi was gone. Relief and bits of attic fluff settled about her as she inhaled the sweet smell of the room, committing it to memory.

Wiping the tears from her face, she tightly clenched the playing music box in her hand, and quietly made her way back to the door. Sakura made sure to take one last look around the attic this time, before walking through the doorway and closing the heavy wood behind her. Content and complete, Sakura slowly walked back down the stairs to the party.

Tonight, life was good.

000

It's the first fic I've ever written, I need to know why you might feel incomplete (if at all) Seriously, I love harshness. I loooove it. Thanks so so much for the reviews and critique so far. Over 100? The hell?

Remember in the first chapter (300 years ago) when I said this was inspired by a picture from girltripped on Deviantart? It's called the man upstairs. The whole epilogue was inspired by that photo alone. I had the epilogue planned out before I even wrote the first chapter, so it was fun to work towards something. I hope you enjoyed it. As Sakura says… So long, Sorry for the gap, and Thank you for reading. Bye, Sorry, Thanks!! Peace, love panties!

This was my first fanfic, and I'm so glad people enjoyed it and helped me through it. I feel as though this fic was a very naughty child of mine. I run around the house all day, trying to make it behave.. but when evening comes we cuddle, and I read a story, and kiss the fic goodnight, and turn out the lights…


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